Rösl Schwaiger (Soprano)

Born: September 5, 1918 - Saalfelden by Salzburg, Austria
Died: April 19, 1970 - Munich, Germany

The Austrian soprano, Rösl Schwaiger, was trained at the Salzburger Mozarteum.

Rösl Schwaiger made her debut in 1940 at the Salzburg’s Landestheater as Queen of the Night in Zauberflöte. From 1942 to 1945 she sang at the Wiener Volksoper. From 1945 to 1952 she was a member of the Wiener Staatsoper. From 1952 to 1963 she worked as the first coloratura soprano at the Bayerischen Staatsoper of Munich, since 1952 she also appeared regularly at the Theater am Gärtnerplatz there. She sang at the Salzburg Festival in 1945 Blondchen in Mozart’s Entführung aus dem Serail, in 1946 Sophie in Rosenkavalier and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro.

Since 1945 Rösl Schwaiger participated for several years in the big concert performances of the Salzburg Festival, particularly in the sacred music works of Mozart, and became one of the most popular singers of the Salzburg Festival. In 1947 she appeared at the Covent Garden Opera in London as Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro. In 1946 she appeared as a guest at the Stadttheater of Basel, in 1963 at the Festival of Bregenz. The artist, who excelled particularly as Mozart interpreter, undertook in 1954 a very successful North America tour. In 1957 she sang at the Festival of Glyndebourne Blondchen, Papagena in Zauberflöte and Najade in Ariadne on Naxos. In 1968 she gave a series of Lieder recitals in Greece and in Turkey.

Recordings: on Philips (Le Nozze di Figaro), DGG (Le Nozze di Figaro), Decca (small part in Rosenkavalier), Melodram (Tiefland by Eugen d'Albert), Datum (Shepherd Boy in Tannhäuser), Erato (Mass in C minor by Mozart).

Source: Operissimo Website English translation by Aryeh Oron (July 2004)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (July 2004); Manfred Krugmann (Photos 01-07, July 2011)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Marcel Couraud

Soprano

BWV 11

Jonathan Sternberg

Soprano

BWV 21

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